Publications
Browse more than 160,000 publications authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS. Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more.
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Eruptive history of northern Harrat Rahat—Volume, timing, and composition of volcanism over the past 1.2 million years Eruptive history of northern Harrat Rahat—Volume, timing, and composition of volcanism over the past 1.2 million years
Harrat Rahat, one of several large, basalt-dominated volcanic fields in the western part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is a prime example of continental, intraplate volcanism. Excellent exposure makes this an outstanding site to investigate changing volcanic flux and composition through time. We present 93 40Ar/39Ar ages and 6 36Cl surface-exposure ages for volcanic deposits throughout...
Authors
Mark E. Stelten, Drew T. Downs, Duane E. Champion, Hannah R. Dietterich, Andrew T. Calvert, Thomas W. Sisson, Gail A. Mahood, Hani M. Zahran
Eruptive history within the vicinity of Al Madīnah in northern Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Eruptive history within the vicinity of Al Madīnah in northern Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The northernmost part of the Harrat Rahat volcanic field contains early Pleistocene to Holocene mafic eruptive products within the vicinity of the city of Al Madīnah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A detailed geologic investigation into the eruptive history of a 570 square kilometer (km2) area covering Al Madīnah and the surrounding area has yielded 33 mapped Quaternary volcanic units...
Authors
Drew T. Downs, Mark E. Stelten, Duane E. Champion, Hannah R. Dietterich, Khalid Hassan, Jamal Shawali
Cenozoic tectonics of the western Arabia Plate related to harrat magmatism near Al Madīnah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Cenozoic tectonics of the western Arabia Plate related to harrat magmatism near Al Madīnah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Sprawling volcanic fields, or harrats, in western Saudi Arabia have been emplaced during the past 30 million years following effusions of flood basalts in Ethiopia and Yemen. Although broadly associated with volcanism in three rift valleys (Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and East African Rift Zone) radiating from the Afar depression, harrat abundance on the Arabian Peninsula indicates that...
Authors
Andrew T. Calvert, Thomas W. Sisson
The Saudi Geological Survey-U.S. Geological Survey northern Harrat Rahat project—Styles, rates, causes, and hazards of volcanism near Al Madīnah al Munawwarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia The Saudi Geological Survey-U.S. Geological Survey northern Harrat Rahat project—Styles, rates, causes, and hazards of volcanism near Al Madīnah al Munawwarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Active volcanic systems pose serious hazards to people and property including inundation and incineration by lava, blanketing by tephra (volcanic ash), exposure to noxious volcanic gases, and damage from shallow earthquakes triggered by ascending molten material (magma). To improve understanding of volcanism and associated seismicity on the western Arabia Plate, the Saudi Geological...
Authors
Thomas W. Sisson, Andrew T. Calvert, Walter D. Mooney
Active volcanism on the Arabian Shield—Geology, volcanology, and geophysics of northern Harrat Rahat and vicinity, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Active volcanism on the Arabian Shield—Geology, volcanology, and geophysics of northern Harrat Rahat and vicinity, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Active volcanic systems pose serious hazards to people and property including inundation and incineration by lava, blanketing by tephra (volcanic ash), exposure to noxious volcanic gases, and damage from shallow earthquakes triggered by ascending molten material (magma). To improve understanding of volcanism and associated seismicity on the western Arabia Plate, the Saudi Geological...
Ancient infrastructure offers sustainable agricultural solutions to dryland farming Ancient infrastructure offers sustainable agricultural solutions to dryland farming
For 1000 years, human populations in dryland regions of the North American Southwest (NAS) extensively constructed diverse forms of agricultural infrastructure, including canals, linear rock alignments, check dams, stock ponds, and other earthworks and rock structures. The long-term hydrological impacts of these and the demographic and socio-political drivers of construction and...
Authors
Matthew C. Pailes, Laura M. Norman, Christopher H. Baisan, David Meko, Nicolas E. Gauthier, Jose Villanueva-Diaz, Jeff Dean, Jupiter Martinez, Nicholas V Kessler, Ron Towner
Geologic sources and well integrity impact methane emissions from orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells Geologic sources and well integrity impact methane emissions from orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells
The 160-year history of oil and gas drilling in the United States has left a legacy of unplugged orphaned and abandoned wells, some of which are leaking methane and other hazardous chemicals into the environment. The locations of around 120,000 documented orphaned wells are currently known with the number of undocumented orphaned wells possibly ranging towards a million. The bulk of...
Authors
Nicholas J. Gianoutsos, Karl B. Haase, Justin E. Birdwell
Introduction to karst aquifers Introduction to karst aquifers
No abstract available.
Authors
Eve L. Kuniansky, Charles J. Taylor, John H. Williams, Frederick Paillet
Conservation plan for golden eagles in eastern North America Conservation plan for golden eagles in eastern North America
No abstract available.
Authors
Todd E. Katzner, Tricia A. Miller, Andrew J. Dennhardt, Maxwell Field, Thomas Wittig, Elizabeth Mojica, Michael J. Lanzone, Mark S. Martell, Richard M. Bailey, Andrew Berry, Renee Dillard, David Brandes, David F. Brinker, Bracken Brown, Erynn M. Call, Jeffrey Cooper, Adam E. Duerr, Christopher J Farmer, Shilo K. Felton, Julie Garvin, Rolf Gubler, Sergio R. Harding, Michael Jones, Christine A. Kelly, Hardy Kern, Netawn Kiogima, Craig A. Koppie, Jerome Lemaitre, Mercedes Maddox, Scott Mehus, Joel Merriman, Amy Mitchell, Bill Parsons, Evan Patrick, Nora P. Pennarola, Margaret Rheude, Casey Rucker, Scott Rush, Ryan Schmitz, Hank Seltzer, Vincent A. Slabe, Eric C. Soehren, Johnny Wills
The haunting raptor: Yellowstone’s golden eagles The haunting raptor: Yellowstone’s golden eagles
For many who live in North America, when picturing an eagle, the image of a large magnificent bird with a distinct white head and tail comes to mind. Rightfully, the bald eagle has garnered much attention as a national symbol of the United States (US), nearly brought to extinction from widespread organochlorine pesticide use (e.g., DDT, dichloro- diphenyl- trichloroethane; Anderson 1972...
Authors
David B. Haines, Douglas W. Smith, Todd E. Katzner, Victoria J. Dreitz
Evaluation of stream capture related to groundwater pumping, Lower Humboldt River Basin, Nevada Evaluation of stream capture related to groundwater pumping, Lower Humboldt River Basin, Nevada
The Humboldt River Basin is the only river basin that is contained entirely within the State of Nevada. The effect of groundwater pumping on the Humboldt River is not well understood. Tools are needed to determine stream capture and manage groundwater pumping in the Humboldt River Basin. The objective of this study is to estimate capture and storage change caused by groundwater...
Authors
Cara A. Nadler, Susan C. Rybarski, Hai Pham
Conventional rare earth element mineral deposits: The global landscape Conventional rare earth element mineral deposits: The global landscape
Four conventional mineral deposit types—carbonatite, alkaline igneous, heavy mineral sand, and regolith-hosted ion-adsorption clay deposits—currently supply global markets with the rare earth elements (REEs) and rare earth oxides (REOs) necessary to meet the technological needs of global communities. The unique properties of REEs make them useful in a wide variety of applications, such...
Authors
Nora K. Foley, Robert A. Ayuso